Oochbane



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. F. OOGHRANE.

MOWING MACHINE.

No. 255,939. Patented Apr. 4,1882.

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(No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. P. OOGHRANE.

MOWING MACHINE.

N0. 255,939. Patented Apr. 4,1882.

INVENI 0R:

Q0 61w QAML A'I'T ORNEI N PETERS. Fholn-Lilhograplvar. washm um D, C.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES:

a Sheets-Sheet 3. W. P. GOGHRANE.

INVENT 0R:

WM-M W. Qoclwowu.

BY JSMlnL murm- ATT ORNEY.

N4 PETERs. PhutmLifllugnpher. Washin ton 0,0.

UNITED STATES PATENT Onrrcn.

\VILLIAM F. COGHRANE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

MIOWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,939, dated April 4,1882.

Application filed December 6, 1881.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, WM. F. COOHRANE, a resident of Indianapolis, countyof Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mowing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is afull,clear, and exact description of theinvention,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction ofmowing-machines, embodying in simple and effective manner the novelmechanical movement for which Letters Patent of the United States weregranted to me November 30, 1880, No. 234,906, and adapting thereto anovel arrangement of planetary gear.

It consists, first, in placing upon the main shaft of the machine anextended, forked, conical sleeve or spider turning loosely upon theshaft, and whose arms support and carry two beveled pinions. Thesepinions revolve within and engage an outer stationary annular gear andmesh with an inner central pinion upon the hub of a beveled-gear wheel,which turns loosely upon the main shaft and engages a pinion upon. adiagonal crank-shaft, driving the cutter-bar. This bifurcated spider,which produces a movement of the planetary gear, is coupled with themain axle, constituting the prime motor by means of a suitable clutch.This part of my invention secures greater strength, durability, andcompactness and greater facility and accuracy of adjustment of the gearthan has heretofore been attained in this class of machines, and permitsthe use of a strong and simple frame with decided economy of material.

My invention consists, secondly, in combining,with thespherically-jointed shoe described in my patent of November 30, 1880, aradial arm projecting to the main frame and combined with a tiltinglever on said frame, whereby the guard-fingers attached to the shoe arereadily elevated or depressed.

It consists, thirdly, in providing an independent lever, governed andcontrolled by suitable clutches and catches, and placed within reach ofthe drivers hand and foot for raising the cutter-bar from the ground byturning it about the-spherical joint of the shoe.

It consists, fourthly, in an improved joint between the knife and thesocket of thepitman-coupling, whereby the knife can be removed from thefinger-bar by drawing it there from toward its outer end and thepitmancoupling be readily reached as required for ad justment orremoval.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top view of my improvedmowing-machine; Fig. 2, a similar view with the upper portion of thecasing on the main shaft removed and the upper division of the sphericaljoint,.con-

nect-ing the shoe and cutter-bar with the main frame, cut in horizontalsection, a portion of the gear and of the connection of the cutterbarwith the pitman being also broken away. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionthrough the main shaft and the hub of the main bevel-wheel in line m wof Fig. 2, illustrating the arrangement of planetary gear. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, through the tinger-bar,knife-heel, and pitmau-coupling in line y y of Fig. 2, illustrating themode of fastening the pitman-coupling to the knife.

Fig. 5 is a section in line 2 z of Fig. 2, illustrating the device forelevating or depressing the guardfingers by means ot'an arm extendingradially from the spherical joint of the shoe; Fig. 6, a section onan'enlarged scalein line to w of Fig.1,illustrating the combination ofthe seat and tongue of the mower with the main frame and theconstruction and arrangement of an independent lever for lifting thecutter-bar.

A A are the wheels, and B the axle, of my improved mowing-machine. Oneof thewheels rotates freely, upon the axle, while the other is fittedwith a pawl to engage the axle and produce its rotation when the machineis running forward.

B is a sleeve encircling the axle, and which is enlarged centrally at 0,Fig. 2, to receive the gearing for transmitting motion from the axle tothe cutter-bar. Over the opening 0 is secured a semi-cylindricalcovering-plate, C, which is confined upon the case B by means of heavybands W W encircling the same on either side of the opening '0. (SeeFig. 6.) From this covering-plate 0 extends the footboard 0, totheinnerside of which is attached the tongue of the machine. (See Fig.1.) The covering-plate O is fitted with a hinged lid,

s Q r 255,939

0', over the opening 0, permitting ready ac-' cess thereto, and uponthis lid is secured the standard supporting the drivers seat, as shownin Figsland dot the drawings. Within the opening 0 a sleeve, E, isfitted to turn loosely upon the axle near the center thereof. Thissleeve is formed with two lateral diverging arms, constituting with thesleeve a-bifurcated conical spider. Each of the two arms terminates in astud or spindle, forming ajour- 11:11 for a beveled pinion, E, and thesepinions mesh outwardly into a stationary beveled annular gear, F, Figs.2 and 3, fixed to the easing, and inwardly with a central beveledpinion,G, upon the hub of alarge wheel,H, which turns loosely upon theaxle. This wheel His provided with beveled teeth formed upon the face ofits outer rim, (see Fig. 2,) and which in turn engage a beveled pinion,1, upon a crankshaft, J. The bifurcated spider E is thrown into gearwith the driving-axle by means ofa simplcclutch,Y, upon the axle, whichis thrown forward to engage the spider by means of a spring, a, and iswithdrawn and disengaged by means of a cam, Z, on the outer end of arod, 1), projecting to the outer side of the easing from a collar on theclutch, as shown in Fig. 2. The shoe is supported in the customaryposition at one side of the machine by means of a fra meextendingoutward and downward diagonally from the casing at c. Thisframe consists of a central tubular arm, L, braced and strengthened bytwo smaller lateral tubular rods or arms, L L, converging as theyproject toward the shoe, the frame being completed by suitable headsreceivingand confining said tubular arms, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4.The lowerhead ot' the frame LL L terminates in a hollow sphere, M, andthe shoe M of the machine is formed with ahemispherical socket adaptedto closely fit upon said sphere, and is secured thereto by means of acap, N, Fig. 4, also formed with a hemispherical socket, which, beingmade to cover the sphere, is then securely bolted to the shoe, thuscompleting a ball-and-socketjoint between the shoe and frame.

The crank-shaft J extends from the gearing on the main shaft through andsupported within the tubular arm L, and terminates within the hollowsphere M in a crank, J, the diameter of the sphere being sufficient topermit a free rotation of said crank therein.

The inner end of the finger-bar O of the machine fits into a recessformed in the shoe at its rear end, so as to be firmly supported therebyand be confined by a projection from the upper division or cap of thespherical joint,

through which passes a single bolt, which serves to secure the whole.The cutter-bar P is thus brought in line with the end of thecrank-shaft, and it is connected with the end of the crank by means of apitman-rod, Q, coupled to the crank with a ball-and-socket joint and tothe cutter-bar by means of ajoint formed within a sliding head, R, whichtraverses freely in a tubular guide formed in a prothe sliding head R.

jection, S, which extends radially from the cap of the spherical joint,as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. The wall of the inner hollow sphere, M,inclosing the crank, is cut away sufficiently to admitof the passage ofthe pitman-rod through it and allow its proper free movement. Thesliding head B is divided longitudinally to admit of the insertion ofthe ball of the joint into the spherical socket formed between thedivisions. The outer end of the sliding head It is coupled with thecutter-bar by means of lugs s s, projecting up from the bar intorecesses in the head, so as to form an interlocking-joint therewith, asshown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The recess in the finger-bar, withinwhich the cutter-bar reciproeates, is adapted to permit a withdrawal ofthe cutter-bar therefrom outwardly lengthwise when it is released from Abolt passing upwardly through the inner end of the cutter-bar, the twodivisions of the head R, and centrally through the ball forming thejoint of the pitman-rod therewith, serves to unite these parts securely.The central aperture in the ball, through which the bolt passes, isproperly enlarged to admit of a play of thejoint, as required.

As in this device the knife-heel remains separate and independent of thesliding sockethead, it may be made of such thickness as that, so soon asreleased by the withdrawal of the bolt T, the knife may be drawn out andremoved from the outer end of the cutter-bar, instead of, as heretofore,at its inner end, the knife-caps being suitably enlarged to permit theknife-heel to slide endwise under them. The pitman-conpling may also bythis device be readily reached for removal or adjustment.

An arm, U, projects radially from the hemispherical socket of the shoe(as shown in Fig. 5) at a right angle with the cutter-bar and at such aninclination upward as to reach the easing on the axle, whereitterminates within a slot frmed vertically in a projection, X, from thecasing, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The head of this radial arm U isengaged by a strap or collar, 1, on the end of a curved jointed link, 2,which connects it with a lever, 3, whose lower end is forked to embracea segmental lug, 4, projecting upward from the top of the casingtransversely thereto, and to which the jaws of the lever are pivoted.The lever 3 is made tubular, and a bolt-rod, 5, is insertedlongitudinally therein to project down between its jaws and drop uponthe face of the segmental lug 4, (see Fig. 5,) so as to engage one of aseries of holes or notches therein. The rod 5 is forced downward by acoiled spring, causing it to engage the recess in the lug automatically,and so look the lever. The upper end of the rod projects from the lever,so that it may be readily drawn up and unlocked, as required, to permitthe lever to be swung forward or backward, this movement of the leverserving by means of the connecting-link 2 to elevate or depress the endof the arm U, and thereby tilt the shoe, and so elevate or depress thefinger-bar. When the finger-bar has been thus properly set and adjustedit is secured and locked in position by the action of the boltrod 5. Thespherical joint of the shoe also permits the finger and cutter bars tobe readily raised or turned up into a vertical position fortransportation, and this movement is accomplished by the driver atpleasure by means of an independent upright lever, 6, pivoted to theside of the foot-board within easy reach of the drivers hand. (See Fig.6.)

Upon the fulcrum of the long upright lever 6 is pivoted a notched disk,7, from which a short radial arm or lever, 8, projects horizontally, itsouter end being coupled with the inner end of the cutter-bar or theouter end of the shoe by means of a strong light chain, 9. Aspring-actuated dog, 10, engages automatically the notches in the upperperiphery of the disk 7, and is released therefrom at will by means of asmall crank-lever, 11, pivoted to the outer end or handle of the longlever 6, and whose shorter arm is connected with the pawl by means of asuitable coupling rod or link, 12. When the dog 10 is left free toengage the disk 7, if the long lever 6 be drawn back, it will oparate bymeans of the dog and disk to turn up the arm 8, and thereby draw up theshoe and cutter-bar.

The lower arm of a small crank-lever, 13, Fig. 6, pivoted below the disk7, engages automatically a series of ratchet teeth or notches on thelower side of said disk and operates thereby as a check to prevent thearm orlever 8, which now upholds the shoe, from dropping back when thedog 10 on the long lever 6 is lifted. This permits the latter to bedisengaged and thrown forward to take a second hold upon the disk forthe purpose of lifting still higher the arm 8 and the shoe andcutterbars carried thereby. The longer arm of the crank-lever 13projects upward through the foot-board, (see Fig. 7,) so as to bereadily reached by the operatorsfoot. Pressure thereon will serve todisengage the lever from the ratchet on the disk 7, and thereby leavethe arm 8 free to drop back andlower the shoe and cutter-bar.

The long lever 6, in connection with the short arm 8, afi'ords powerfulleverage for lifting and foldingover the shoe and cutter-bar into anupright position, so that the latter are managed with ease.

The stationary beveled annular gearF, Figs. 2 and 3, affords greatstrength to meet the resistance of the supplemental gear. Its conicalshape gives greater radial strength to its rim than if made straight orparallel. The beveled gear introduced in the planetary system admits ofan easier and more accurate adjustment of the pinions to each other thancould otherwise be obtained, for theintermeshing of the planet-wheels orother pinions is thereby varied and regulated at pleasure by simplylengthening or shortening the hubs.

The employment of the bevel-wheel H to drive the pinion I on thecrank-shaft permits also said pinion to be of greater diameter atitsapex than is usually the case.

The conical shape of the outer case, 0, is not only neat, but produces astronger frame with less weight of material.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with a beveled stationary annular gear, F, fixed toencircle the main driving shaft or axle B, of a conical bifurcatedsleeve or spider, E, placed upon said shaft to rotate therewith, andcarrying upon its diverging arms beveled pinions or planetwheels E E,adapted to engage said annular gear and to mesh centrally into apinionupon the hub of a gear-wheel, H, rotating upon the main shaft B,substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination of the inverted bevelwheel H, turning loosely uponthe main shaft B, with the beveled pinion I upon the crankshaft J on oneside and with planet-wheels E E engaging a pinion upon its hub on theother, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combination, with the shoe M and its spherical joint M N, of anarm, U, extending radially from said joint, a slotted guide, X, upon thecasin g G, and a lever, 3, pivoted to said casing for the purpose ofelevating or depressing the shoe and its cutter-bar, substantially asherein set forth.

4. The combination, with the sphericallyjointed shoe and thefinger-barcarried thereby, of a pivoted arm, 8, upon the main frame, actuated byan independent lever, 6, and dog 10, en gaginga notched disk upon theaxis of said arm 8, and controlled by a spring-actuated catch-lever, 13,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. In combination with the finger-bar O, the cutter-bar 1?, adapted tobe withdrawn endwise from the same, and provided with lugs on its innerend, the pitman-head B, having recesses adapted to receive said lugs,and means for securing the cutter-bar and pitmanhead together, whcrebyan interlocking-joint is formed which will admit of a ready release andwithdrawal of the cutter-bar, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

I In testimony whereofI havesigned my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. 7

WM. F. GOGHRANE.

Witnesses:

Roscoe O. HAWKINs, A. B. Com.

